The Winter Child [Hardcover]

Flawlessly conceived and exquisitely produced, this gentle fable unites two favorite fantasy themes, the quest for a precious object and a duel between Good and Evil. As a doll and puppet maker extraordinaire, Froud follows her earlier successes (The Dark Crystal; The Empire Strikes Back; etc.), with this gentle fable, written with compassion and occasional sly wit by five-time World Fantasy Award-winner Windling. Beautifully designed by husband Brian Froud and handsomely photographed by Jones, the lovely illustrations evoke a beguiling faeryland where the real blends almost imperceptibly into make-believe. At the very bottom of Greenmoss Glen, deep in Old Oak Wood, the humble little furry tree root faery Sneezle dons his red holiday finery for King Oberon and Queen Titania's Midwinter Eve festival but Oberon's gold and amethyst cup goes missing on this too warm Midwinter Eve. Searching for Oberon's stolen cup, Sneezle and his engaging marsh thistle faery companion, Twig, find a mysterious baby hatching from a golden egg, then elude evil goblins sent by wizard-gone-wrong Malagan, whose wicked spell prevents Lady Winter from entering the land. When Malagan duels with Good Sorceress Tamaryst, Sneezle and Twig help right the mythic circle of the seasons, a graceful reenactment of Windling's familiar "the last shall be first" theme. Meshing seamlessly with her sensitive text, the photos of Froud's creations provide a delightful visual excursion into this land of childhood heart's desire. 7-city author tour.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Grade 1-4-There's trouble in the faery court of Old Oak Wood. Though Titania and Oberon have made elaborate preparations for the Revels surrounding their annual Midwinter Eve rites, Autumn lingers in their small kingdom, for Winter will not come. To make matters worse, Oberon's favorite cup is stolen. Humble Sneezle, a tree root faery, and his friend Twig, a marsh thistle faery, embark on a quest to find it. (These two are veterans of an earlier quest, chronicled in A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale [S & S, 1999].) The young faeries find the cup and more: a mysterious faery baby hatched from an egg. Sneezle and Twig, along with the baby, encounter goblins, sorcerers kind and malevolent, beautiful women with unknown powers, and other magic beings, all depicted in Froud's elaborate tableaux. Her doll-like sculptures and props are arranged in detailed settings and photographed in rich color. Generations of creative children have imagined similar environments for faeries in woods and gardens. This slick production turns free-flowing imaginative play into a static commercial product, using archetypes skimmed from the froth of the cauldron of story. This title will find an audience, especially among collectors of the artist's dolls, lured perhaps through Froud's Web site. Librarians may need to satisfy that audience, but the book is too precious to make even a modest contribution to fantasy literature.
Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ellen Kushner host of Public Radio International's "Sound & Spirit" Terri Windling and Wendy Froud make magic together! Fans of Harry Potter will find new worlds to travel in, new wizards to intrigue them; and lovers of folk and fairy tale will rejoice in old friends in bright new garments.

Carefully combing his ears and tail and wearing his finest red felt boots, a furry young faery named Sneezle prepares for the Midwinter festival in Old Oak Wood -- the oldest faery court in the British Isles. All the denizens of the wood have gathered for this grand winter holiday...but this year something is strangely wrong. By now the forest should be blanketed with snow, but the air remains warm, the leaves have not fallen, and branches remain laden with autumn's fruit. Somehow, the cycle of nature has been halted, and even the faery king, Oberon, cannot fathom why winter has not arrived. From this mystery will come a great adventure, one in which young Sneezle and his best friend, Twig, will confront menacing goblins and an evil sorcerer.

By turns charming, menacing, and hilarious, The Winter Child follows Sneezle and Twig as they bravely ferret out the terrible truth behind Winter's absence and witness a dramatic duel of sorcerers in which the future of the faery kingdom hangs in the balance. In this marvelous collaboration between renowned doll maker Wendy Froud and award-winning writer Terri Windling, the entrancing story twists and turns its way through the magical beauty and ominous shadows of the faeries' world. Art-directed by Brian Froud, beloved creator of such classics as Good Faeries/Bad Faeries, the book's spectacular photographs capture Sneezle, Twig, King Oberon and Queen Titania, the sorcerer Malagan, the Royal Council of Sorcerers, and the faeries of Old Oak Wood, all in such vivid detail that they seem to come alive...as indeed, perhaps, they are.

Following the success of Wendy Froud and Terri Windling's first Sneezle adventure, A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale, this new volume opens the magical window of enchantment once more with an extraordinary combination of story and art. A mythic tale of nature humbled by whim and ambition -- and of good and simple souls triumphant -- The Winter Child will be a classic among lovers of fairy tales, fantasy literature, and all things Froudian.

Wendy Froud is a puppeteer and sculptor. Terri Windling, five time winner of the World Fantasy Award, has edited and written many fantasy works for children.